​ We finally cast off the dock lines early on a Tuesday morning, having completed our official duties over the previous weekend. Dave had officiated at Steve and Linda’s wedding on Saturday, and now we were joining them as Orion Jr and Bay Dreamer headed across the bay to Cape Charles.

The Wedding As most of you know, May 19th was the day of the big wedding. No, not the one in Windsor Castle -- Steve and Linda’s wedding with Dave officiating. We started the day by watching that other much-covered event, while Dave took pointers on what to do and what not to do.

While the skies were clear and blue across the ocean, that was not the case here in Poquoson. We dodged downpours on our way to the venue, and the actual ceremony was delayed in hopes of a break in the wet weather. No such luck. However, many guests reminded the couple that rain on your wedding day is a good sign.

We’re sure that will be the case, since this was truly a lovely couple and a lovely match. We were honored to be a part of their special day.

The new enclosure provides a clear view of the water ahead

Back on the Bay

It was an unusual plan to say the least. On Orion Jr, we would be joining Steve and Linda as they traveled on Bay Dreamer on their honeymoon. The plan was to leave on Monday after Saturday’s festivities were done and the house guests had departed on Sunday. However, Monday was going to be a late departure, since there were many post-wedding items to take care of (not the least of which was Dave’s filing the paperwork to make the marriage legal at the court). Luckily for all of us, Monday’s weather forecast was too stormy to be comfortable, so we deferred our departure to Tuesday.

Overcast skies greeted us as we prepared to shove off from our slip at Sunset Boating Center early Tuesday morning. However, there was no bad weather in the clouds, so it proved to be an uneventful trip across the bay, and that’s what we aim for. The outboard started smoothly (after Dave re-connected the fuel hose that Cathy hadn’t secured correctly), and it puttered along as we motorsailed east across the bay to Cape Charles. For the first time, we were able to use the tachometer to gauge the engine speed and compare it to our fuel consumption. There was almost no large ship traffic as we crossed the shipping channel into Hampton Roads and later the York Spit channel that angled up the bay. However, we were surprised to see almost 20 big ships at anchor off Cape Charles. It took us about an hour to get from one side of the anchorage to the other.

Three of about 20 anchored ships awaiting cargo off Cape Charles

Shortly after noon, we were making our entrance into the Cape Charles channel. Steve and Linda had entered about 30 minutes before us. As we were approaching the final turn into the harbor, we heard their exchange with the dockmaster. By 1pm, we were tied up next to them on C dock, with only a few other boats for neighbors. The weather started to clear, and after checking in we decided to make our way to town in search of – what else? -- ice cream. To our dismay, the signature Brown Dog eatery is only open on the weekend, so we settled for some samples and tastings at nearby Gull Hummock Gourmet. But we were not completely disappointed, they also sold Brown Dog ice cream in pints. Needless to say, the pint didn’t last long after we got back to Orion Jr.

Our rough cruising plan for the week was to head to Onancock, further north on the Eastern Shore, maybe to Crisfield, move back to the western shore near Deltaville and back to Cape Charles to join the Yacht Club on the Memorial Day weekend. With our late start, the aggressiveness of the this schedule was starting to become intimidating. However, as always with cruising, we would just take one day at a time.

We get a personalize tour of the museum from a local historian

​ Our hopes of making a hop to Onancock on Wednesday were scuttled when the forecast shifted. No problem. We decided to explore Cape Charles by visiting its Museum, where we learned a lot about Cape Charles strategic role in connecting Norfolk to markets in the north. The innovation was the ability to load RR cars on barges to cross the bay to Norfolk. Once the rails and barges were in place in the mid 1880’s, Cape Charles became a boom town. The boom lasted for decades, but ultimately the need for a freight ferry evaporated with the opening the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in the 60’s. It took several decades since then for Cape Charles to reinvent itself and focus on tourism with a beach, a harbor, and a quaint historic downtown.

Orion Jr and Bay Dreamer on the dock at Cape Charles Town Harbor

Our walk back to the harbor allowed us to come across Rayfields, the local independent pharmacy and, more importantly, soda fountain. Good ice cream and onion rings. Later that evening, we got together on Orion Jr to grill some burgers and share a meal with Steve and Linda. We discussed the plan to head out early for Onancock. As we made plans to make an early departure, we got a heads up from Steve. The weather again looked questionable the next day. The good news was we’d get to sleep in for the first time in more than a week. And the decision to stay put turned out to be even better when we discovered Steve wasn’t well the next day. Glad he wasn’t feeling that bad out on the water.

Old Point Comfort Yacht Club Memorial Day Weekend at Cape Charles

Our yacht club has a long tradition of cruising across the bay to Cape Charles on Memorial Day weekend. This was the first time we had been able to join them on our own boat. By Friday afternoon, the slips started to fill up. (We had to move before they did, but it was only across the fairway.) Commodore JD and his wife Sandy arrived on Steve and Sue’s boat and much of the activity seemed to gravitate to the dock near them. “Docktails” (i.e. hor d’ouvres and drinks) were followed at sunset by the firing of the cannon (an old nautical tradition) and the playing of Taps. The next day’s dinghy races were cancelled, because nobody wanted to launch their dinghy just to participate, but they were followed by a joint potluck with the Cape Charles Yacht Club.

Diving in to the Fireball Challenge

On Sunday, the day stated with a fundraiser pancake breakfast prepared the Sea Scouts Venture Crew sponsored by the Yacht Club. Steve and Linda left shortly after, but the strong southerly winds made their first hour a bit of a ride. For the rest of the club that stayed behind, the day’s highlight (for some) was the Fireball Challenge (i.e., gulp a paper cup of Fireball Whiskey and jump into the water). Since temperatures were sweltering on the dock (and down below, reaching 95 degrees on Orion Jr), this was not that much of a challenge for many, who once in the water were reluctant to get out.

Dave and Peter discuss the pros and cons of small sailboats

We enjoyed reconnecting with several of our friends and fellow yacht club members and meeting new ones. Dave struck up a conversation with a couple that had also arrived on their trailer-able Cal 22 sailboat and we spent some time comparing notes on the little boats and the bigger boats that were in the future for them and the past for us. We also spent some time getting to know a couple on a nearby trawler who were heading out to cruise the bay more extensively once she retired in the next year. But as Monday dawned, the exodus was quick and thorough. Near collisions occurred as boats pulled out to make their way home. We joined the crew on Sue and Steve’s boat for breakfast and then helped them stow their gear and cast off. We would be one of only 3 boats remaining for a Tuesday departure.

The weather never fully cooperated for our trip further up the bay. Our timeframe was too short, and our ability to travel long distances limited by our slow speed. Since we needed to be back in Hampton for the Blackbeard Pirate festival the following weekend and the winds were going to stay out of the south, we motored back to Hampton on Tuesday, having enjoyed our brief cruise on the bay. If the weather cooperated, we would head back out after the festival.

One of 2 new dorades in place

Boat Stuff

Where is all this water coming from? When the water in the bilge is high enough that the main saloon floor starts to get wet, you know something isn’t quite right. Is it coming from a thru-hull? No. They’re all dry. Is it coming from a leak on deck. Maybe, but we can’t find any water trail below. We did discover that one of the cowling (cover) for the starboard dorade (air vent) was no longer sitting on its base. So, we took both of them out and installed new ones, which caused us to think the deteriorated seal inside the old ones was the problem. Maybe, but the water kept accumulating in the bilge

Another theory was the fresh water system. We kept putting off looking at this. It required Cathy to get down into a small space under the companionway and stick her head into an even smaller space to look. Eventually she did, and it was a good thing. The filter cover on the freshwater pump was a little loose and was dripping water in a very small stream. Since we’ve tightened the cover, no more water of consequence is coming out of the bilge. Oh, and what about the fact that the float switch didn’t expel, the water before it got so high? We can’t figure that one out. Once we manually pumped it all out, the float switch started doing its job just fine. And Cathy visually inspected it to find no problems. Go figure.

We took some time at Cape Charles to revise the lazy jack lines on the stackpack so that the material sagged less at the stern. The attachment point for the forward lines was raised higher and we connected the stackpack aft end to the topping lift. It looks better, but we haven’t had a chance to test it.

Our trip back from Cape Charles was made much more challenging than normal when our chartplotter’s gps failed to give a position. While using a phone app allowed us to navigate, it was far less desirable. A phone call to Garmin had us reset the chartplotter and all was well again. But it might not be so in another 6 months after no use. Only time will tell.

The good news was that with only minor exceptions, the systems on the boat worked well. We could sleep, cook, navigate, sail, entertain and even watch movies without problems. Is it smaller than the RV? You bet. But we were able to bring her back to life again, and she’s probably better than she ever was. And that felt good.